Fragments by Art Verdiano There was a government program advocating planting vegetables on one’s front yard or backyard. It suggested gro...
Fragments
by Art Verdiano
There was a government program advocating planting vegetables on one’s front yard or backyard. It suggested growing weather-resistant produce such as okra, eggplant, chili, camote tops, and even tomatoes.
I was thinking about this while reading about the news on NFA (National Food Authority) rice shortage and how it affects not only the buying power of the poor, but also the domino effect it has on the price of commercial rice. If there is a short supply of affordable rice, then demand will also be high on commercial rice. Thus, the law of supply and demand kicks-in and this precious commodity will become more expensive.
But health experts agree that eating too much rice is not good for the body. It is high in carbohydrates and is basically sweet-less sugar and should be taken in moderation. Though this does not mean that we should eat less, my point is that we should compliment eating less carb with healthy alternatives.
In relation to growing vegetables on one’s house, I believe that if everyone does this, rice shortage and its rising price will not really have a major impact. First off, if we have home-grown produce, we will only have to buy meat and rice from the market since we already have the other ingredients to a complete meal. “May pang-sahog na, ‘ika nga.” Saving a few pesos more from not buying vegetables adds to the budget for buying rice.
And with regards to eating less rice, doctors will say that we can substitute it with green, leafy vegetables. A typical Filipino plate consists of more than half portion of rice, then meat and vegetables. The alternative would be more than half-a-portion vegetables and less carbohydrate. Couple this with drinking plenty of water and we have a balanced diet.
It is quite ironic that in developed countries, people are working hard to have a sustainable home. This means that they plant whatever food they can and makes sure that it doesn’t have pesticides and other toxic materials. Some even raise chickens to have eggs. In the Internet, one can search how we can grow plants in small places and how to raise them.
I do not know how it is with us Filipinos but rarely can we see people who do this. Is it the stigma that being a farmer is a low-status job so planting is demeaning? There are so many vacant lots and no one seem to bother planting even camote tops in them. I believe we should try it. Let us see for ourselves how planting vegetables at home can save us money and give us better health.
There was a government program advocating planting vegetables on one’s front yard or backyard. It suggested growing weather-resistant produce such as okra, eggplant, chili, camote tops, and even tomatoes.
I was thinking about this while reading about the news on NFA (National Food Authority) rice shortage and how it affects not only the buying power of the poor, but also the domino effect it has on the price of commercial rice. If there is a short supply of affordable rice, then demand will also be high on commercial rice. Thus, the law of supply and demand kicks-in and this precious commodity will become more expensive.
But health experts agree that eating too much rice is not good for the body. It is high in carbohydrates and is basically sweet-less sugar and should be taken in moderation. Though this does not mean that we should eat less, my point is that we should compliment eating less carb with healthy alternatives.
In relation to growing vegetables on one’s house, I believe that if everyone does this, rice shortage and its rising price will not really have a major impact. First off, if we have home-grown produce, we will only have to buy meat and rice from the market since we already have the other ingredients to a complete meal. “May pang-sahog na, ‘ika nga.” Saving a few pesos more from not buying vegetables adds to the budget for buying rice.
And with regards to eating less rice, doctors will say that we can substitute it with green, leafy vegetables. A typical Filipino plate consists of more than half portion of rice, then meat and vegetables. The alternative would be more than half-a-portion vegetables and less carbohydrate. Couple this with drinking plenty of water and we have a balanced diet.
It is quite ironic that in developed countries, people are working hard to have a sustainable home. This means that they plant whatever food they can and makes sure that it doesn’t have pesticides and other toxic materials. Some even raise chickens to have eggs. In the Internet, one can search how we can grow plants in small places and how to raise them.
I do not know how it is with us Filipinos but rarely can we see people who do this. Is it the stigma that being a farmer is a low-status job so planting is demeaning? There are so many vacant lots and no one seem to bother planting even camote tops in them. I believe we should try it. Let us see for ourselves how planting vegetables at home can save us money and give us better health.
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